Minestrone Soup
Minestrone soup is a hearty Italian vegetable soup brimming with beans, pasta, and a colorful medley of seasonal vegetables in a savory tomato broth. It is wholesome and filling yet bright with herbs, making it both nourishing and deeply comforting. A bowl topped with grated Parmesan and crusty bread is a complete and satisfying meal.
- ⏱ 40 min
- 📊 easy
- 🍽 Family
Ingredients
- 500 g mixed vegetables
- 1 can cannellini beans
- 400 g diced tomatoes
- 150 g small pasta
- 1.2 L vegetable broth
Instructions
- Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and saute a diced onion, two carrots, and two celery stalks for eight minutes until softened.
- Add three minced garlic cloves and cook for one minute until fragrant.
- Stir in one can of diced tomatoes, one teaspoon of dried oregano, and one teaspoon of dried basil, cooking for two minutes to deepen the flavor.
- Pour in six cups of vegetable broth and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Add one can of drained cannellini beans, one diced zucchini, and a cup of chopped green beans, simmering for fifteen minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Meanwhile, cook one cup of small pasta separately in salted water until al dente, then drain.
- Stir a handful of chopped spinach into the soup and simmer for two more minutes until wilted, then season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon pasta into each bowl, ladle the hot soup over it, and finish with grated Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.
💡 Chef's tip
Cook the pasta separately and add it to each bowl at serving time, because pasta left sitting in the soup keeps swelling and turns mushy while soaking up all the broth.
Adding the pasta only in the last 10 minutes keeps it from overcooking into mush and soaking up all the broth as the soup sits.
Nutrition (per serving)
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Protein: 12 g
- Carbs: 48 g
- Fat: 4 g
